Aberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen, is a registration county of Scotland. This area (excluding Aberdeen itself) is also a lieutenancy area. In Scotland registration districts were introduced in 1855, and registration counties were used in subsequent censuses.

Until 1975 Aberdeenshire was one of the counties of Scotland, governed by a county council from 1890. The boundaries of the county were adjusted by the boundary commissioners appointed under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 that established the county council. In 1900, the county town of Aberdeen became a county of a city and was thus removed from the county.

The county bordered Kincardineshire, Angus and Perthshire to the south, Inverness-shire and Banffshire to the west, and the North Sea to the north and east. It had a coast-line of 65 miles (105 km).

In 1975 the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 reorganised local administration in Scotland into a two-tier system of regions and districts. Aberdeenshire, along with the City of Aberdeen, Banffshire, Kincardineshire and most of Morayshire were merged to form Grampian Region, with the former county being divided between the districts of City of Aberdeen, Banff and Buchan, Gordon and Kincardine and Deeside.

In 1996 Scottish local government system was reorganised a second time to form a single tier of unitary council areas. The name was revived for the council area of Aberdeenshire, which has different boundaries.

The area is generally hilly, and from the south-west, near the centre of Scotland, the Grampians send out various branches, mostly to the north-east.

Districts

Mar mostly between the Dee and Don, which nearly covers the southern half of the county and contains the city of Aberdeen. It is mountainous, especially Braemar, which contains the greatest mass of elevated land in the British Isles.

Formartine between the lower Don and Ythan,

Buchan lies north of the Ythan, and comprising the north-east of the county, is next in size to Mar. On the coast, six miles (10 km) south of Peterhead, are the Bullers of Buchan – a basin in which the sea, entering by a natural arch, boils up violently in stormy weather. Buchan Ness is the most easterly point of Scotland.

Garioch, in the centre of the shire, comprises a beautiful, undulating, loamy, fertile valley, formerly called the granary of Aberdeen.

Strathbogie, occupying an area south of the Deveron, mostly consists of hills, moors and mosses.

Main industries

A large fishing population in villages along the coast engage in the white and herring fishery, fostering the next most important industry to agriculture.

The chief mineral wealth comes from the noted durable granite, quarried at Aberdeen, Kemnay, Peterhead and elsewhere including for causewaying stones.

Mountains

The mountains of Aberdeenshire provide the most striking of the physical features of the county.

Ben Macdhui, 1,309 m (4,295 ft), a magnificent mass, the second highest mountain in the United Kingdom,

Braeriach 1,295 m (4,249 ft),

Cairn Toul, 1,293 m (4,242 ft),

Beinn a' Bhùird, 1,196 m (3,924 ft),

Ben Avon, 1,171 m (3,842 ft),

"Dark" Lochnagar, 1,154 m (3,786 ft), the subject of a well-known song by Byron,

Cairn Eas, 1,084 m (3,556 ft),

Sgarsoch, 1,037 m (3,402 ft),

Culardoch 900 m (3,000 ft),

Buck of Cabrach, 722 m (2,369 ft)

Tap o' Noth, 558 m (1,831 ft),

Bennachie, 518 m (1,699 ft), a beautiful peak which from its central position is a landmark visible from many different parts of the county, and which is celebrated in John Imlah's song, O gin I war faur the Gadie rins,

Foudland, 466 m (1,529 ft).

Main Rivers

Dee, 90 miles (140 km) long;

Don, 82 miles (132 km);

Ythan, 37 miles (60 km), with mussel-beds at its mouth;

Ugie, 20 miles (32 km),

Deveron, 62 miles (100 km), partly on the boundary of Banffshire.

The rivers are rich with salmon and trout, and the pearl mussel occurs in the Ythan and Don. A valuable pearl in the Scottish crown is said to be from the Ythan.

Lakes

Loch Muick, the largest of the few lakes in the county, 399 m (1,309 ft) above the sea, 21⁄2 miles (4.0 km) long and 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 mile (540 to 800 m) broad, lies some 81⁄2 miles (14 km) southwest of Ballater, and has Altnagiuthasach, a royal shooting-box, near its south-western end.

Loch Strathbeg, 6 miles (9.7 km) southeast of Fraserburgh, is only separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land.

There are noted chalybeate springs at Peterhead, Fraserburgh, and Pannanich near Ballater.

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